


A Sparkling Interview

by akajulester15



Series: Everfree County (Next Gen Fanfics) [1]
Category: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Genre: Alternate Universe, Comedy, POV First Person, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-22
Updated: 2019-11-22
Packaged: 2021-02-17 23:14:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,611
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21518041
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/akajulester15/pseuds/akajulester15
Summary: Recently, the author Exclusive Edition (aged thirty-two) managed to snag an interview with Countess Twilight Sparkle and her family! She has confirmed this will feature in her upcoming biography about the countess (title not public as of yet). She has agreed to let Ponies magazine publish this interview, however, so her ardent fans can get a sneak peek!NOTE: This short story takes place three years before the present time period of the Everfree County series.I decided to experiment with a first-person point of view for this. I'm probably not going to do this for the other Everfree County stories, haha.
Series: Everfree County (Next Gen Fanfics) [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1550956





	A Sparkling Interview

A flash bulb went off. My eyes stung from the sudden sensation of light. I’m used to it, though. You kinda _have_ to get used to it, when you’re in my position.

The photographer lowered his camera, showing his face. I think he said his name was Snapshot. He smiled nervously, looking mildly abashed. “S-sorry, if that surprised you all. I just thought, uh, a candid shot…” He trailed off. I assume it’s because the mare next to him shot him a glare.

“Oh, it’s quite alright,” Mom reassured him. She gave him a warm smile, which seemed to calm him. His shoulders relaxed and his body became less tense.

Dad, sitting on my left, chuckled. “You’d think they’d know by now that we’re not some hoity toity nobles,” he said to me under his breath. I cracked a grin.

Mom had turned her attention back onto the filly in front of her. “Harmony, sit _still_ ,” she admonished.

Harmony fidgeted, an expression of abject misery painted all over her face. “But _Mommm_ , I don’ wanna!” Her orange wings fluttered at her sides. I knew for a _fact_ Mom had just preened them about an hour ago, yet they were already starting to get disheveled. “This is _boring_ ,” Harmony proclaimed.

“Yes, yes, we all know.” Mom ran a brush through Harmony’s cerulean mane. I will never understand how it gets so windswept even when she’s indoors. Mom brushed her hair gently, but that didn’t stop my sister from complaining.

I glanced to the left. Comet was just as enthused as our sister. His shoulders were slumped. He refused to look at the strangers before him. His lavender coat was pale and clearly hadn’t been brushed for Maker knew how long until this morning. His horn was dull and unpolished. His wings were hanging listlessly at his sides. Even though it'd been three years, it was like he still wasn't used to them. He hadn’t even tried to cover up the shadows under his eyes.

Having finished with Harmony, Mom seemed to notice his unhappiness as well. “Comet, I think we’re, ah, going to start soon…” She let out an anxious laugh. “Just for an hour, okay?”

Comet didn't respond. After a moment, he huffed and straightened his posture. He adopted a purely neutral look. He’d gotten good at pretending.

I looked back at Mom. Happy that he listened to her, she focused on keeping Harmony still. Her smile didn’t quite reach her eyes. No doubt, she’s thinking she’s a terrible mother. I didn’t know how to comfort her. I should. It’s my talent, for Maker’s sake!

The mare, Exclusive Edition (which _had_ to be a pen name. It’s too alliterative to be her actual name!), cleared her throat. “Are you ready to start?” A notepad and pen hovered next to her, itching to record the interview.

“Yes, I believe we are,” Mom replied. She sat just a tad straighter, her shoulders back. Her smile had become soft and demure – I could tell she’s trying to imitate Queen Celestia. She had suddenly transformed into the Lady Twilight Sparkle, Countess of Everfree.

“Alright-” Exclusive flipped the switch on her tape recorder “-let’s start, then, shall we?” She cleared her throat. “How long have you lived in Ponyville, Lady Sparkle?”

“Oh, I think it’s been about twenty-three years, now. I was twenty-two when I first moved here.” Chuckling, she confessed, “You know, I actually hated it, my first day here. It was so different from Canterlot, especially since it was still just a small farming town back then.” My lady mother’s face was colored with nostalgia as she reminisced. “If it weren’t for the friends I made, I probably would have gone back to Canterlot.”

Exclusive nodded along. She glanced at a sheet of paper on her left, presumably questions she meant to ask. “You mentioned Ponyville being different; how exactly would you say it’s changed over the years?”

“Well, for one, the population has grown so much. I mean, it’s been a long time since Pinkie was been able to throw individual welcome parties for every new pony,” Mom joked, laughing softly.

“Would you agree this was due to your ascension and rise in status?”

“Oh, I wouldn’t give myself _all_ the credit. The town’s so close to Canterlot, growth was inevitable. I did speed it up, though,” she said with a wink. “I’d say it really started when I began to fix up the Castle of the Two Sisters.” She waved a hoof absent-mindedly at the room around us. For, of course, we were currently in a parlor of Everfree Castle, where we live. “The project needed countless architects, engineers, construction workers, etcetera, not to mention all the professors and archaeologists who finally were able to examine the castle properly.” Her eyes lit up with excitement. “So much history was preserved, it was _incredible_! You’d never _believe_ how many artifacts and relics we found, some even Celestia and Luna themselves had forgotten about!” She began to ramble on.

Dad cleared his throat. He was clearly trying not to laugh at Mom’s nerdiness. “Twilight was _very_ enthusiastic about leading that project,” he explained to Exclusive (who was trying vainly to get a word in), rather unnecessarily.

Mom puffed up at his comment, blushing. Noticeably, she didn’t deny it. “I, er, yes, I was delighted Celestia entrusted me with that responsibility.” She rubbed the back of her neck, saying, “I must admit, I wasn’t so excited for most of it. It was extremely stressful, having to direct so many ponies and covering such a large area. I’m surprised I didn’t completely crack at certain points…”

“It’s all because she met me,” Dad cut in. He puffed out his chest and reached around me to place a wing over his wife. I let out a squawk of indignation as I was suddenly pinned between them. Mom cried out in surprise as well. I heard the camera go off – Snapshot was living up to his name, it seemed. Great, now there’d be a picture of this in the papers by next week! Jon and Crys would never let me hear the end of this…

“Flash!” Mom’s blush deepened as she pushed him away. She scowled at him, which he only laughed at. She took a minute to readjust her glasses – knocked askew by Dad’s hug – and smooth down her mane and feathers.

Exclusive laughed. “I take it you two first met during the reconstruction process?”

Dad nodded and said, “Got it in one, sweetheart.” He flashed what he thought was a charming, lady-killing grin. He’s too goofy to pull it off. I groaned and covered my face. Sometimes I wonder which of my parents is the bigger dork. He eased his grin into a casual, lopsided smile. “Her Majesty, Queen Celestia, had assigned a platoon of guards to Ponyville. I led ’em, my first assignment as a new captain. Our main mission was to protect and serve Twilight, but we also started the process of making the Everfree Forest safer, getting rid of the monsters the Tree of Harmony had left behind.”

“As the captain of her guards, I take it you had to work closely with Lady Sparkle often?”

“Yes, that’s, ah, a way of saying how it started,” he answered. “I believe our first real interaction, after we introduced ourselves, didn’t go so well. Right, Twi?”

Mom sighed in aggravation, running a hoof down her cheek. “Ugh, don’t remind me.” She took a deep breath. “I… disagreed with Captain Sentry over how he should organize his paperwork and schedule.”

“‘Sending me passive-aggressive notes and breathing down my neck’ is how I would have put it,” Dad quipped.

“I’ve always been over-fixated on checklists and rigid scheduling,” Mom continued, acting like she hadn’t heard him. “Flash, on the other hoof, prefers looser organization and more general preparations.” Begrudgingly, she said, “… I’ll admit that he made _some_ good points.”

“Anyways-” Dad turned the conversation off its tangent “-we didn’t get along at first, but we warmed up, eventually. As Twilight was saying earlier, the pressures of her job were starting to get to her. I ended up becoming an emotional support for her, along with her friends and family. It turned more…” he trailed off, sparing a glance at Harmony (who was trying not to fall asleep). Mom stood at the ready to cover her ears, should the filly’s innocence need protection. “… _intimate_ , uh, romantic about a year later.” I suddenly wished I could have _my_ ears covered. I’d rather not hear the sordid details of my mom and dad’s relationship.

“The biggest stress reliever was definitely after we defeated Tirek,” Mom interjected. I could tell she was just as uncomfortable as me that Dad almost talked about their sex life. “When we opened that weird box the Tree of Harmony generated, I think it restored the parts of the castle we hadn’t gotten to yet, which was most of it…”

Exclusive jotted something down in her notebook. “Now, you two didn’t get married for another five years, why is that?”

“Well, we hardly wanted to rush into marriage,” Mom answered, smiling at Dad. “We both decided to take it slow, one day at a time.”

“Not to mention we were both so busy we could barely even consider getting hitched,” Dad added.

“Yes, there was that, too,” Mom concurred. “Even before we’d started working on the castle, Celestia was still ironing out what exactly my duties would be. After I ascended, I mean. Once I moved into the castle, she made my title as ‘Countess of Everfree’ official. That meant a lot of-”

“Daddy, can I go outside and play?” Harmony suddenly interrupted. “I’m _booored_.”

“Harmony!” Mom slapped her lightly on her arm. She looked at Exclusive, embarrassed. “Please excuse her, she’s still learning when to be quiet around adults.” She turned a stern eye on Harmony, whose ears wilted. She started to pout, and I sincerely hoped she wasn't about to start a tantrum.

“It’s okay,” Exclusive assured Mom, waving a hoof. “I’d actually been meaning to ask your children some questions as well, if that’s alright with you.”

Mom looked at Dad, who shrugged. “I don’t see a problem with it,” he said. “I thought it’d be weird to make them sit through this without being talked to.”

“I guess it’s fine,” Mom said, somewhat reluctantly. I sniffed, insulted. What, she thought I’d act like a little foal? I was fourteen! I wasn't a baby.

“Great!” Exclusive leaned down a bit, getting closer to Harmony’s eye level. “Why don’t we start with you, little miss?” In an instant, her demeanor changed from a professional writer to a foalsitter. “How old are you, milady?”

“I’m eight,” Harmony replied sweetly. “I just lost a tooth! Wanna see?”

“Harmony,” Mom chided, a warning edge in her voice.

“Maybe some other time,” Exclusive said with a laugh. “How do you like living in a castle?”

“It’s cool! It’s so so so big, I get lost sometimes. But I never cry!” she suddenly blurted out, just in case Exclusive even considered it. “Lotsa my friends live in smaller houses. But I like those houses too!”

Exclusive chuckled. “Good to know. Are your friends fun?”

“Yup. We do lotsa fun things together!” She crinkled her nose as she added, “But Rainy acts like a fraidy cat ’cause she’s too little.”

“Rainboom, Rainbow Dash’s daughter,” Mom clarified.

Harmony looked up at Mom. “How long do I hafta do this?”

“We can stop if you’d like,” Exclusive promised her.

“Can I go outside and play now?” Harmony asked, her face lighting up.

“Sure, _moja droga_ ,” Dad responded. He hoisted her onto his back with a wing. She let out a squee of delight. He turned to Exclusive. “Forgive my leaving early, but whatever Her Ladyship says is law.” He gave Mom a quick peck on the cheek (which caused Harmony to make a face), then left with Harmony.

“Sir Flash seems a doting father,” Exclusive commented.

Mom stared for a while at the door, a small smile on her face. “He really is something…”

Exclusive turned to me and Comet. “Well, since we started with your younger sister, I suppose we'll move up in age. Ponies are still buzzing about your ascension, Comet Tail. Is there a reason why you've been so reticent on the matter?"

I instantly tensed. I glanced at my brother, who was looking down at the floor, apathetic. He mumbled, barely audible, “… it wasn't that special.”

His answer clearly didn’t satisfy Exclusive. She frowned and started to question him further, when I cleared my throat. “Please forgive my brother for not speaking too much,” I told her with a gracious smile. I tried to conduct myself with the poise and grace Aunt Rarity always has. “Even though it's been a few years, it's still a delicate subject. We would prefer not to talk about it until my brother is ready.”

As Exclusive shifted her attention onto me, I breathed an internal sigh of relief. A social disaster had been avoided, at least for now.

“Right, I can imagine you’re feeling _much_ more stressed than your brother. Empathy, can you tell me how it feels to be in your position?”

“Well, it’s…” I trailed off, not really knowing what to say. It wasn't like I was unprepared to succeed my mother. Sure, I hadn't been trained every single second of my life like Concordia or Platinum or Sirène. But it wasn't like Mom had let me do whatever I wanted; I’m part of a noble family, I couldn’t just _embarrass_ us by looking stupid or unrefined. It just... it had been so much easier before the incident with Comet...

Every day, I wished he hadn’t had that freak magical accident, or whatever the hell it was. So much had changed since then. It’d been three years, and my family was still dealing with it. Mom and Dad didn’t know what to do with him, _I_ didn’t know what to do with _anything_. Harmony had no idea what his problem was and why he was always so angry. Concordia hadn’t come to Ponyville ever since then because of how guilty she felt. Part of me was glad about that last part. I knew it would be better for them to talk, no matter how much it hurt, but she made things so Maker-damned _awkward_. It was hard enough to talk to her when I was in Canterlot.

“… it’s not as stressful as lots of ponies think it is,” I finished lamely. It was only a half-lie, really. I was sure I could handle this. I _had_ to. I needed to show Mom she raised at least one kid right. I needed to make her proud of me. I had to get this perfect; there was no other option. I needed to show Equestria what I could do...

I posed with Mom for a picture. One of her wings rested over my withers. I relished in its touch, her warm feathers, the faint scent of old books that constantly surrounded her. Without even thinking, I grabbed hold of one of her hooves, gently. She looked at me, surprised.

“Emma?”

I nuzzled her neck. For once, I didn’t care if I got photographed. “Nothing, Mom. I love you.”

Mom looked down at me for a while, a sad yet sweet smile on her muzzle. “I love you too, sweetie.” She touched her lilac horn to my own dark orange-pink one. She smoothed down a flyaway hair from my blue and fuchsia mane.

We turned back to Snapshot and smiled for the camera.

**Author's Note:**

> This happens three years before the present of the Everfree County series. I just thought it would be an interesting way to introduce some parts of my Next-Gen universe.
> 
> Some important things to know:  
> -Celestia is the queen of Equestria, but Luna is still a princess. Only the Crown Prince/Princess of Equestria and the ruling monarch's immediate family receive the title of Prince/Princess. Discord, as Celestia's husband, is the Prince Consort.
> 
> -Becoming an alicorn doesn't make you a member of the royal family (Twilight's family is already a noble house, though, so Celestia used that, her service for Equestria as an Element of Harmony, and her ascension to make her a countess).
> 
> -Only natural alicorns (that is, a pony who is born an alicorn, like Celestia and Luna) can give birth to other alicorns. Foals of ascended alicorns (Twilight and Cadence) follow normal genetics, though they tend to have more powerful magic/flight/strength.
> 
> -All alicorns become ageless after a while. Their lifespans become tied to their talent/sphere of influence (sun for Celestia, moon for Luna, love for Cadence, friendship/magic for Twilight). They can choose to give up their semi-immortality, but it results in instant death, no matter what.
> 
> -The Tree of Harmony didn't make that God-awful crystal monstrosity in this universe, but Tirek still destroyed Golden Oaks. Twilight did find some acorns that survived, though, and planted them in the Everfree Castle's garden. With the help of Earth Pony magic and the Tree of Harmony, it grew into a large oak tree (though not as big as the library) with crystalline decorations in it. The rest of the Mane Six did make her a cool chandelier with the library's stump/roots, though.
> 
> -When Twilight met human-Flash Sentry/Brad when she went to the "human" world, she was NOT attracted to him. He's not even the same species as her. She was actually rather annoyed by HIS attraction to HER, though, since she found it distracting. That's actually part of why she didn't like pony-Flash at first, as she assumed he would be the same. 
> 
> -I portray Flash as being the whatever the Equestrian equivalent of Polish is - his calling Harmony "moja droga" is a Polish term of endearment that means "my dear."


End file.
